McCullough v. Greenfield

62 L.R.A. 906, 95 N.W. 532, 133 Mich. 463, 1903 Mich. LEXIS 529
CourtMichigan Supreme Court
DecidedJune 23, 1903
DocketDocket No. 87
StatusPublished
Cited by24 cases

This text of 62 L.R.A. 906 (McCullough v. Greenfield) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Michigan Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
McCullough v. Greenfield, 62 L.R.A. 906, 95 N.W. 532, 133 Mich. 463, 1903 Mich. LEXIS 529 (Mich. 1903).

Opinion

Moore, J.

This is a case for false imprisonment. In the spring of 1901, while engaged in distributing advertising matter in the city of Kalamazoo, the plaintiff was stopped by one of-the city policemen, and referred to the city clerk’s office for a license to distribute advertising matter, which he applied for and obtained. The defendant claims that, at the time the plaintiff was applying for the license, the defendant explained to him there was an ordinance of the city of Kalamazoo against nailing advertising matter on telephone poles, and the plaintiff promised, if he was permitted to have the license for distributing advertising matter, he would not tack placards upon the poles. The plaintiff denies having this conversation.

The plaintiff, after obtaining his license, distributed his advertising matter, and, on the last day of his sojourn in [465]*465Kalamazoo, nailed placards on a very large number of telephone, telegraph, and municipal lighting poles throughout the city, and immediately left for Battle Creek. The defendant reported the matter to the city attorney, and under his advice complaint was made, a warrant issued, and placed in the hands of • the defendant for service. After the defendant obtained the warrant, he telephoned to the police clerk at Battle Creek that he had a warrant for the arrest of the plaintiff and one McBride, and, if they were in the city of Battle Creek, to detain them until he could arrive.

The plaintiff and McBride were arrested by Officer Hamilton, of Battle Creek,, and detained at the police station for about three hours, when Mr. Greenfield, with his warrant, arrived and took the men into custody. About 8 o’clock, it being after dark, the defendant put upon the plaintiff and McBride handcuffs, boarded the interurban car for Kalamazoo, and, after changing cars twice en route, reached their destination late in the evening, about 10 or 11 o’clock. The plaintiff and his companion were detained at the jail at Kalamazoo until morning, when they were taken before Recorder Browne, where they each pleaded guilty, paid their fine, and left the city. Some months later the plaintiff instituted this suit. It was conceded the plaintiff was guilty of a violation of a valid ordinance, and no question is raised about the regularity of the warrant.

The trial judge charged the jury, among other things, as follows:

‘ ‘ I charge you that, under the undisputed evidence in the case, the arrest of the plaintiff at Battle Creek on April 25, 1901, by Police Officer Hamilton of that city, and his detention in the jail at that place for the space of three hours or thereabouts, was illegal and without authority of law, and constituted a false imprisonment of the plaintiff. If this unlawful imprisonment of plaintiff at Battle Creek was at the request of and under the instructions of the defendant, Greenfield, it became and was in [466]*466law'his act, just as much as though he had done it himself, and he, defendant, Greenfield, is responsible to plaintiff, McCullough, for all such damages as you may find he suffered during the time of such illegal detention.”
‘ ‘ The arrest and detention of the plaintiff at Battle Creek having been illegal, as I have charged you, and it being conceded by the defendant that the plaintiff was not restored to his liberty before being taken into custody by Mr. Greenfield, I instruct you that the illegal character of the detention continued until the arraignment of the plaintiff in the recorder’s court of this city on the forenoon of April 26, 1901.”
“An officer, in making an arrest, should avoid unnecessary harshness or violence. He has no right to use handcuffs, unless, in his honest judgment, under all the circumstances of the case, he is apprehensive of the escape of his prisoner if he does not use them. In this case, under the proofs offered by the defendant himself, I charge you that no justification is shown for handcuffing the young men together, and the act of doing so constituted an unjustifiable assault upon the plaintiff, for which defendant is liable to him in damages.” ■
“Now, I feel warranted in instructing you, as a matter of law, in this_ case, that the injury complained of is not technical, but real. The illegal deprivation of liberty in this case, and the illegal imposition of handcuffs, were real personal injuries, and require that you award plaintiff something more than nominal damages. How much more, it is for you to say, in the exercise of your best judgment. I can only say that it should be such a sum as will fairly-and fully compensate him for the injuries received. Beyond such a sum you should not go, nor should you stop short of that.”

The jury returned a verdict for $50. The case is brought here by writ of error.

{HTiefirst question presented is, Was the arrest at Battle Creek by the direction of the defendant illegal, when the warrant was in the possession of the defendant at Kalamazoo? In the case of People v. McLean, 68 Mich. 480 (36 N. W. 231), it was said:

was charged simply a misdemeanor, and he could not be arrested for the crime, after the commission of the act, without a proper warrant. The war[467]*467rant was issued and delivered to the sheriff. The sheriff is authorized to take such assistance with him in making an arrest as he may deem necessary, and the warrant in his possession, while present and pursuing his object, will be a justification to his assistants in making the arrest. But he has no authority to send an undersheriff or deputy to one place to make an arrest without a warrant, while he goes to another for the same purpose with the warrant. He cannot send his deputy into one town or county while he gives pursuit in another. Under the ancient practice of hue and cry, before warrants were issued, this might be done in the pursuit of felons,,but no hue and cry could be raised for a misdemeanor. |We think it clear that, in cases Of misdemeanors, the sheriff must be present, either in sight or hearing, directing the arrest, to justify a. person not armed with the warrant to make the arrest.”]

See, also, Drennan v. People, 10 Mich. 184; People v. Johnson, 86 Mich. 175 (48 N. W. 870, 13 L. R. A. 163, 24 Am. St. Rep. 116); Smith v. Clark, 53 N. J. Law, 197, (21 Atl. 491).

| It is claimed by defendant that as the plaintiff, when arraigned, made no objection to the manner of his arrest, but pleaded guilty to the. charge, by so doing he waived any irregularity in the*1 arrest, and cannot recover. The authorities upon this, proposition are not harmonious. In 12 Am. & Eng. Enc. Law (2d Ed.), p. 743, it is said:

“It has been held by a court of high authority that a party cannot maintain a civil action for damages for false imprisonment where his arrest has been followed by conviction in a criminal court, and that conviction remains unreversed, unless such person establishes the fact that his. conviction was obtained by fraud and conspiracy. But it is believed that this means no more than that, where there has been an arrest without warrant, conviction on the charge is, in general, prima facie evidence of probable cause. If more than this is intended, it is contrary to the weight of a majority of the best-considered cases.

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Bluebook (online)
62 L.R.A. 906, 95 N.W. 532, 133 Mich. 463, 1903 Mich. LEXIS 529, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mccullough-v-greenfield-mich-1903.